A die, e.g., a semiconductor die, may produce heat during its operation. The heat may be produced by an active side of the die. A cooling device may be used to reduce the temperature of the die during operation, e.g., such that the temperature of the die does not exceed a pre-defined maximum temperature limit.
Conventional cooling devices, for example, a heat sink in contact with a back side of the die and cooled, e.g., by a fan, may be used to reduce the temperature of the active side by removing heat from the backside of the die. In such devices, the location in which the heat is removed, e.g. the backside, is different than the location in which the heat is produced, e.g., the active side. Thus, due to the thermal resistance of the die and/or of any other material layers which may be located between the die and the heat sink, e.g., a Thermal insulating Material (TIM) and/or an Integral Heat Spreader (IHS), the cooling device located on the backside of the die may not efficiently remove the heat produced by the active side. As a result, the temperature of the active side may be higher than ambient temperature.
Some cooling devices implement a Thermo-Electric Converter (TEC) located relatively close to the active side of the die, e.g., connected to the die or to a substrate connected to the die, which is connected to the active side of the die. The TEC may have a cold section and a hot section. The cold section may absorb the heat produced by the active side of the die and the hot section may release the heat. However, the heat released by the hot section may increase the heat of the cold section, since both sections are located either in the substrate or in the die, which have a relatively low thermal resistance. Thus, these devices may not effectively remove the heat produced by the active side.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.